A randomized pilot study to investigate the effect of opioids on immunomarkers using gene expression profiling during surgery.

Endogenous opioid peptides and exogenous opioids modulate immune function, and animal and human studies have shown that some have a depressant immunomodulatory effect. This is potentially of high clinical significance, eg, in cancer patients and surgery. The primary objective of this pilot study was to evaluate the effect of morphine and oxycodone on immune pathways associated with immunosuppression in gynecological laparotomy patients. Gene expression was analyzed in CD4, CD8, and natural killer (NK) cells using the 3' Affymetrix microarray. Patients were randomized to receive morphine, oxycodone, or nonopioid "control" analgesia during and after surgery. Genes demonstrating differential expression were those with a ≥±2-fold difference and P-value ≤0.05 after analysis of variance. Cytometric bead array and NK cell degranulation assay were used to investigate changes in serum cytokine concentration and in NK cell cytotoxicity, respectively. Forty patients had satisfactory RNA which was hybridized to gene chips. Genes were identified (Partek Genomics Suite 6.6) at baseline, 2, 6, and 24 hours and were either ≥2-fold upregulated or downregulated from baseline. At 2 hours, a large number of genes were downregulated with morphine but not with control analgesia or oxycodone. Statistically significant increases in IL-6 concentrations were induced by morphine only; NK cell activity was suppressed with morphine, but maintained with oxycodone and epidural analgesia. Gene expression profiles suggest that at 2 hours, post incision morphine appeared to be immunosuppressive as compared to oxycodone and nonopioid control analgesia.

Monolayer WS2 Nanopores for DNA Translocation with Light-Adjustable Sizes.

Two-dimensional materials are promising for a range of applications, as well as testbeds for probing the physics of low-dimensional systems. Tungsten disulfide (WS2) monolayers exhibit a direct band gap and strong photoluminescence (PL) in the visible range, opening possibilities for advanced optoelectronic applications. Here, we report the realization of two-dimensional nanometer-size pores in suspended monolayer WS2 membranes, allowing for electrical and optical response in ionic current measurements. A focused electron beam was used to fabricate nanopores in WS2 membranes suspended on silicon-based chips and characterized using PL spectroscopy and aberration-corrected high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy. It was observed that the PL intensity of suspended WS2 monolayers is ∼10-15 times stronger when compared to that of substrate-supported monolayers, and low-dose scanning transmission electron microscope viewing and drilling preserves the PL signal of WS2 around the pore. We establish that such nanopores allow ionic conductance and DNA translocations. We also demonstrate that under low-power laser illumination in solution, WS2 nanopores grow slowly in size at an effective rate of ∼0.2-0.4 nm/s, thus allowing for atomically controlled nanopore size using short light pulses.

Anticorrosive Self-Assembled Hybrid Alkylsilane Coatings for Resorbable Magnesium Metal Devices.

Magnesium (Mg) and its alloys are promising candidates for use as resorbable materials for biomedical devices that can degrade in situ following healing of the defect, eliminating the need for a second surgery to remove the device. Hydrogen gas is the main product of magnesium corrosion, and one of the limitations for use of Mg devices in clinic is the formation of gas pockets around them. One potential solution to this problem is reducing the rate of corrosion to the levels at which H2 can diffuse through the body fluids. The study's aim was to evaluate the potential of hybrid alkylsilane self-assembled multilayer coatings to reduce Mg corrosion and to modify physicochemical properties of the coatings using surface functionalization. The coating was made by copolymerization of n-Decyltriethoxysilane and Tetramethoxysilane followed by dip coating of metal discs. This resulted in a formation of homogeneous, micron thick, and defect free coating. The coated surface was more hydrophobic than bare Mg, however functionalization of the coating with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane reduced the hydrophobicity of the coating. The coatings reduced several fold the rate of Mg corrosion based on the H2 evolution and other assessment methods, and effectively prevented the initial corrosion burst over the first 24 h. In vitro tissue culture studies demonstrated cytocompatibility of the coatings. These results reveal excellent anticorrosive properties and good cytocompatibility of the hybrid alkylsilane coatings and suggest great potential for use of these coatings on resorbable Mg devices.